The Finish Line
by shipperfey
Summary: When Cameron collapses, House must be the one to diagnose and treat her. Sequel to Thirteenth Step.
1. Prologue

**Title: The Finish Line**  
**Author: **Alice J. Foster

**Summary:** When Cameron collapses, House must be the one to diagnose and treat her.  
**Spoilers:** Season 3  
**Category/Warnings:** Angst, medical stuff, romance, etc.  
**Pairing/Characters:** House/Cameron, Ducklings v1.0, Wilson, Cuddy.  
**Rating:** NC-17

**Started:** 12/30/2006  
**Finished:** tbd

**Author's Note: **This is a sequel to my other multi-chapter House fanfic "Thirteenth Step," set about six months after the end of TS.

**Prologue**  
**June 2007**

"You're discharged; they're processing your paperwork right now," Allison Cameron told their latest patient with a shadow of a smile.

The patient didn't seem to notice the lack of emotion on Cameron's part, because she wrapped her arms around the small-framed doctor. Cameron didn't pull away, but she maintained her distance; she should be happy –their case was over and she was going away. Forever.

No more Gregory House, no more puzzles and strange diseases, no more Chase and Foreman and being part of a team. She was leaving, going back home - where she was going to spend the last of her husband's life insurance to setup her own private practice.

She knew it was going to be boring, but she didn't have much choice. All the arguments she'd had with herself over the past three months replayed in her mind as she left the patient room and met up with Foreman and Chase. Just as always, they were out of loop, never for one second imagining that tomorrow they'd come in, and Cameron would be gone; to be fair, this time they weren't the only ones unaware of her decision. Miraculously, only Cuddy was aware she was leaving.

She wished she could tell them, but it was for the best—she couldn't risk word getting back to House before she was on a plane and far, far away. Every minute of every day counted now; she'd worry herself sick every morning in front of the mirror as she tried on outfit after outfit, hoping to find one that would keep her omission going for just a while longer.

Cameron glanced at the clock in one of the walls as the trio started their walk back to their conference room. Another half an hour and she would be free of the physical form of House; then all she had to do was to find a way to remove him from her mind and soul, to forget his touch, kisses and glances… it wouldn't be easy, of course, especially when she was going to have a constant and permanent reminder of her affair with House in a few weeks' time.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't even realize her body hitting the floor…

…and then her world went dark.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**  
**March 2007**

Cameron heard the words coming from the doctor's mouth, but they didn't register for the longest time.

_It can't be true._

They'd been careful – yes, accidents happened, but to two grown doctors? It just seemed absolutely surreal.

She closed her eyes, and a brief glimpse of their—no, _her_ future passed before her eyes, and she felt nothing but abject fear.

They'd come a long way, but she knew this specific fork in the road wasn't actually a fork at all – it was just simple realization of a dead end. Despite House's opinion to the contrary, Cameron wasn't that naïve—she knew he didn't want kids, and to be completely honest, neither did she.

Cameron knew that whatever her decision she ended up making would haunt her for the rest of her life.

Cameron wondered if cowardice was a symptom of the pregnancy—she'd always thought of herself as strong, but now she felt weak as she unlocked the door to her apartment. There was no doubt that House would be there, lounging on her couch, or maybe picking through the leftovers in the fridge. For six months he'd been there almost every night she came home…

…but he wasn't going to be there anymore.

"Hey," he greeted from the kitchen, "there's pizza in here."

Cameron was having a hard time breathing as she approached the kitchen island. He looked so relaxed, eating the last of his pizza and wearing nothing but a John Lennon t-shirt and briefs—he didn't even care if she saw his scar anymore.

"I'm not hungry," she said apologetically as she set her purse down on the counter.

"How was your dentist appointment?" House asked as he approached her.

"They uh—they were running behind, and I got tired of waiting, so I rescheduled my appointment," she lied.

"Good, 'cause I wouldn't want your mouth to be numb for this," he replied, pulling her lips to his in a kiss that made her toes tingle. His hands made quick work of her vest and the button-up shirt she was wearing; her brain overloaded when his fingers brushed against newly sensitive nipples.

"House," she began to say when she remembered the reason why her body was responding to his touch in new and foreign ways.

"Don't ever leave me," he whispered against her neck.

She stiffened against him, holding her breath in. "What do you mean?"

"You left me alone with Foreman and Chase and no patient… they bickered about everything, from sports to the number of pandas in the wild, it was hell," House sighed dramatically, his warm breath tingling her earlobe.

"Oh," was all she was able to say in reply as she felt her center contract at the sensation.

"I had to sit there, pretending to read some random medical article when I was in fact thinking about doing this," House pressed his erection against her.

She moaned in response, pulling him in for a kiss. Her fingers worked on her slacks, feeling relief when they dropped to her kitchen floor in a heap.

Cameron felt her body being lifted off the ground and deposited onto the kitchen table. "Your leg," she pointed out—she might be thin, but that was still more weight than he should carry, even for a few seconds.

"Just took two Vicodins, can't feel a thing," he explained as he pulled her underwear off. His fingers quickly found her center, dipping inside and spreading the wetness he found.

Cameron moaned, feeling every muscle in her body tremble at his touch.

House seemed more than pleased at her response, maneuvering his hips between her thighs. His erection wasted no time, finding her entrance and pushing inside with the ease of familiarity.

As he pumped inside her, Cameron closed her eyes; she couldn't look at him knowing that she was too much of a coward to admit the truth. Her orgasm was sudden and unforgiving, shaking her entire foundation.

If this was about to end, the least she could give herself was a weekend to sort things out in her mind… a weekend to enjoy still having House.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

His apartment was freezing when he entered it, for the first time in months. It was so empty, much like he felt at the moment.

House's mind replayed the event of the past few hours: Cameron's question, their argument, his solitary ride back to his old place with a duffel bag full of his belongings.

Things were over.

_"Where do you see us in five years?" _

Her question still puzzled him, just as much as it did when he first heard it. Her behavior had been off all weekend, sometimes sad and sometimes euphoric.

He'd been in enough relationships to know that people only questioned the future when they were unhappy with the present; six blissful months and she hadn't ever wondered out loud about their status, or their direction.

Part of him had wanted to tell her he saw them together—maybe she'd be teaching diagnostic medicine to med students while he broke in yet another set of fellowship applicants… living in a house together like the one he'd planned to buy back during the Stacy days. Or maybe a condo—something with good acoustics so he could play his instruments all day and night.

But he wasn't even sure he wanted that future, or any future; the last time he had made plans, he'd ended up with an infarction and half of his thigh missing. He saw no point in making plans, or discussing the future.

He wanted Cameron—he'd wanted her from day one, but now it was a different type of dependency. But she wanted some kind of commitment from him, and he'd been burnt too many times to be able to give it to her… he'd tried to explain it, but by then the tears had began flowing, and she'd thrown him out.

He lost her, and he didn't even know why exactly.

"Get up!"

House's head throbbed as he tried opening his eyes. He groaned at the nausea that hit him when the smell of moldy carpet reached his nostrils.

"It's noon, House, get up," Cameron yelled, throwing a clean shirt at him.

_Cameron._

His hungover brain reminded him Cameron shouldn't be here. Sitting up took some effort, but he looked around, realizing he'd passed out on his living room floor, and there was an empty bottle of scotch on the coffee table next to him.

"Why are you here?" he asked bitterly as he fumbled in search of his Vicodin; he found the pill bottle on the coffee table, white tablets strewn around next to the alcohol. He reached for two and dry-swallowed them, having more trouble than usual with his gag reflex.

"You didn't show up for work; we have a new patient and Cuddy came looking for you an hour ago. Your cell went straight to voicemail, so I figured you'd pulled a stunt like this," she replied, voice as full as venom as his.

"Drop the annoyed act," he bit back at her. "You're the one who dumped me," he reminded her.

"Right, which makes me officially no longer your babysitter. So get off your ass, and get ready for work," she replied as she rummaged through a bag full of clothes, finding a pair of jeans and throwing them in his direction.

He glanced over the back of the couch to see several suitcases lying around his living room floor; she'd been so eager to get him out of her life and her apartment that she hadn't even waited a couple of days to return his stuff.

House didn't say anything as he got up and walked to the bathroom with the clothes she'd given him. He heard his front door closing as he showered.

He had enough experience with self-pity to know that wallowing in it wouldn't get him far. He'd lived forty-some years without Allison Cameron—he could do it again. Things were going to be tense at work, but he should've taken that into consideration before he started sleeping with his subordinate.

With newfound resolve, he remembered he now had a patient and a new puzzle to solve.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

As the sounds of footsteps echoed outside the exam room, Cameron felt her stomach turn.

It wasn't the nausea that was now so familiar to her, but a sickening notion that she was about to end a chapter of her life that hadn't even truly begun.

She'd cancelled her previous two appointments at the other clinics.

Cameron remembered when she'd taken her roommate to a similar clinic; they'd been first year interns, sleep deprived and worried about student loans—her friend had shown nothing but relief the whole time they'd been at the clinic.

Cameron didn't feel relief right now. Instead she felt short of breath, and she wondered if the hormones coursing through her veins were beginning to cause anxiety attacks.

It was the easy option—House had made it clear he didn't envision a future for the two of them, let alone if the two were to become three. This way she'd be able to move on without any permanent reminder of her affair with House.

Then again, terminating this pregnancy wouldn't erase the memories—the memories were what kept her up every night. In the three weeks since they'd broken up, she hadn't had a full night of sleep.

She was eight weeks along now, and she couldn't help but remember everything she'd ever learned about fetal development. All the medical cases they'd had involving fetuses and newborns came to her mind—the memory of the prevalent bond between every parent and child was overwhelming.

Every person she'd ever loved had always left or been taken away too soon; she'd been alone all of her life. This wasn't just a pregnancy she was about to give up.

"Allison?" a female voice asked, bringing Cameron out of her reverie.

"Dr. Cameron," she corrected politely.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Dr. Cameron," the woman apologized. "I'm Dr. Wyatt," the woman introduced herself, holding out a hand.

Cameron shook the doctor's hand, forcing a smile. "No problem," she reassured the woman.

"I'm assured you're well aware of what this procedure entails?" the woman asked delicately.

"Yes, I'm aware…" Cameron replied before she stopped and took a deep breath, a strange feeling flooding her being. "But I'm afraid I've changed my mind."

The doctor smiled, scribbling on a prescription pad. After a few seconds, she handed a slip of paper to Cameron. "I understand. Here's a prescription for some pre-natal vitamins… good luck, and congratulations."

"Thank you," Cameron replied, realizing the strange feeling that had overcome her was relief.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**  
**Nine Weeks Later**

"Where is she?" House demanded to know as he entered the ER. He'd gone home early, only to receive a page from Foreman telling him that Cameron had been admitted after collapsing during her shift.

Nurses stared at him blankly until he banged his hand against the counter.

"_Dr. Cameron_, where is she?" He demanded again and he let out a relieved sigh at the sight of Chase walking towards him in scrubs.

"She's in here, House," Chase said, pointing to an open door.

House quickly limped towards the younger doctor, trying not to look too frantic. "What happened?" he asked once Chase closed the sliding glass door behind them. Foreman was currently sitting on a chair next to the hospital bed, and House finally slowed down for the first time since he'd gotten paged. She had an IV hooked to her arm and she was completely pale.

_She looks cold_, he thought, staring at her prone form on the bed, feeling his breath catch in his chest.

"She collapsed in the hallway upstairs, about thirty minutes ago. Left pupil's blown," Foreman explained.

"She had a _stroke_?" House asked in disbelief.

Foreman cringed, "TIA, so we've put her on heparin, and we're monitoring her, but…"

House scoffed impatiently, "But what?"

"She's unconscious, and some of her tests have come back—_abnormal_, so we need authorization for a CAT scan."

"So get your authorization, what are you waiting for?" House was near fuming, he couldn't believe they were risking Cameron's life waiting for something like an authorization.

"That's why we paged you. She assigned you as her proxy, should she be incapacitated in any way," Chase explained, sounding both curious and miffed.

"She did _what_?"

"Her last directive, dated six months ago, clearly appoints you as her proxy should anything happen to her," Foreman reiterated.

House sighed. Six months before, when they were still seeing each other… she'd probably just forgotten to change it back after their fall out. Finally, he nodded and looked up at Chase. "Do the CAT scan now."

"House…" Chase started to say but stopped, seeming unsure of how to continue.

Foreman stood up from his chair and handed House Cameron's chart. "She's pregnant, House. As her proxy, you should be aware of that before authorizing any tests."

House felt his legs growing weaker, so he grabbed the hospital bed railing to support himself. "That's not poss—how far along?" he finally managed to ask.

"We are still waiting for an ultrasound to confirm. We did pull her medical records, and it looks like Dr. Jensen in Obstetrics diagnosed the pregnancy, about three months ago. Dating from that, she should be between sixteen to eighteen weeks along."

A mix of emotions filled House. Cameron was pregnant… with _his _child. And she had obviously hidden that information from him, for at least three months. He glanced at the date of the appointment on her chart – two days before she'd broken up with him. He was angry, he was unsure, and most of all, he was scared.

Gregory House had had countless lives depend on him for the past twenty years, but for the first time, he had to make personal decisions about medical procedures and suddenly not just one life depended on him, but two. "Do the CAT Scan," he said in a broken voice, "but no contrast. I don't want to put the b—fetus under any added stress."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Cameron struggled to open her eyes, cringing as the bright lights hurt her eyes. Before her eyes were completely open, she'd already recognized the distinct sound of the rhythmic tapping of wood against linoleum.

"Ow," she moaned in pain when the IV needle jerked in her vein as she tried to move her hand to cover her oversensitive eyes.

"Sudden movements are probably a bad idea," she heard his tired voice warn her. She slowly turned her head to see him standing up from his chair at the other side of the room, as far away from her as he could be without leaving the room. "Also, hiding pregnancies from the father of your child-- very bad idea. But perhaps not as bad as quitting your job without telling said father of said child, who also happens to be your boss."

She took several slow breaths, glad that she was physically unable to meet his eyes since her hospital bed was lying as flat as possible.

House sighed. "Well, the cat is out of the bag… all cats are out of the bags, actually. Is there a collective noun for cats?"

"Clowder," she whispered, "clowder of cats."

"Oh yes," he agreed. "An entire clowder is out of the bags."

"What happened?" She asked, surprised when he sat down on the chair next to her bed, supporting his forehead on his cane so that he still wouldn't meet her eyes.

"You had a stroke—well, a TIA, about six hours ago. Lucky for you, Foreman was around and he put you on heparin immediately."

"Is—" Cameron's breath caught in her throat, and she suddenly unsure how to ask the question.

"The fetus is fine, from what we can tell. We are actually more concerned with you for the moment, since we still don't know what caused the TIA. Foreman and Chase are running extensive tests," he spoke in a voice that was probably meant to be reassuring, but only served to scare her further.

Her hand dropped to her stomach as she tried to calm herself down, and an unexpected tear ran down her cheek. Ever since she found out about the baby, she'd been riding such a roller coaster of emotions, especially after the break-up with House.

The sudden reality that something could be very wrong with her – something even House hadn't figured out yet – was too much for her.

Nothing, however, prepared Cameron for the shock of House's hand covering hers in silence.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

An irregular, unfamiliar beeping woke House up. He groaned as his back protested the fact he'd fallen asleep in a very uncomfortable hospital chair, but that was still not as bad as the searing pain that was coming from his leg. There was no time to swallow a pill though, as Cameron's heartbeat monitor beeped irregularly. He pushed the emergency call button on the bed railing with one hand as he reached for a syringe in the nearby drawers with the other.

A worried nurse appeared at the door and House barked orders at her to page Foreman.

"Cameron," he yelled as the nurse left. When that didn't work, he shook her, first slightly then more forcefully. He exhaled in relief when she finally drew a deep breath and opened her eyes.

"What—" she started to say in gasps, shaking from the Antiarrhythmic he'd administered.

"Shhh," he quieted her. "Deep, slow breaths." He inhaled and exhaled loudly, as if to demonstrate to her how to breathe, but in truth he was just following his own advice.

Foreman finally arrived, breathless and worried. "What happened?"

"Arrhythmia," House explained. "I administered some intravenous Corvert and she seems to be stable now," he pointed to the monitors above the hospital bed.

After a second of steady beeps, House announced, "But I think I know what's wrong with her."

"Mitral Valve Stenosis," House wrote down on the whiteboard, which Chase and Foreman had brought to her room. She was looking much better, healthy blush slowly returning to her cheeks.

"Stenosis aggravated by pregnancy – it makes sense," Chase said from where he was standing by the sliding glass door.

"I will order an echo and an EKG," Foreman announced, "but I'm guessing a chest X-Ray is out?"

Cameron nodded with no hesitation, but she looked surprised when House nodded just as quickly and as vehemently.

"With such a quick onset, if it is stenosis, then we should be able to see it on both the echo and the EKG," House added. "Also, order a detailed fetal ultrasound – we want to make sure that the uneven blood flow hasn't affected the fetus."

As soon as Chase and Foreman left the room, Cameron looked uncomfortable. "House…" she started in a quiet voice.

"Don't," he warned her. "Just not yet. I'm just going to go for now. Just—you have my pager number," he said as he quickly limped out of the room.

He glanced back at the room when he was far enough, and the sight of Cameron quietly sobbing still broke his heart.

**Note: **If this diagnosis seems familiar, it's because it was used in the episode "Fetal Position" -- remember the annoying but good episode where Cuddy tries giving relationship advice to Cameron about Chase, while House pretends not to care? That one. Mitral Valve Stenosis wasn't the pregnant photographer's last diagnosis, but her initial one (she too collapsed with a stroke). I started to write this story around December of 2006, and when that episode aired, I felt frustrated to say the least, because suddenly it seemed like I was _copying_ the case and initial diagnosis. So, if you thought the disease sounded familiar, the truth is that David Shore hacked my laptop and rearranged the characters in an annoying way. Bastard.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Cameron stared at the sonogram monitor in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" House asked, seeming to share in her skepticism.

"There are two fetuses," the ultrasound technician explained, highlighting the left amnios sac, "this fetus, Twin A, is developing normally for seventeen weeks. Twin B, however, seems to be slightly underdeveloped in comparison—normally I wouldn't worry, since it's common for one of the twins to be dominant; if they were identical twins, I'd say this was twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. In this case, however, I'd say we'll just need to keep a close watch on the smaller fetus."

Cameron was still reeling from the news and she didn't notice how her eyes searched House's until it was too late—she saw the surprise in there, and more importantly she recognize the utter fear in the blue depths. He was scared.

"Multiple fetuses would explain the sudden onset of her symptoms," Chase pointed out.

"Unfortunately, it also complicates things," Foreman reminded them. "If the second fetus is causing added stress…"

"Then the logical solution would be to terminate Twin B," House added softly.

Foreman nodded. "If the symptoms continue or get worse, yeah."

"I don't—I can't…" Cameron couldn't even think straight, and she was pretty sure the Corvert was making her head spin.

"Chase, Foreman, go prep the EKG and echo," House ordered.

"It should only take one of us to do it," Chase argued.

Cameron was startled when House slammed his cane against a plastic chair. "Do it!"

The two men glanced at each other before they shrugged and exited.

"Mind giving us a minute?" House asked to the sonogram technician, and the young man nodded, before he too left.

Cameron's vision blurred as she started having problems breathing; her heart was pounding, and the dizziness she'd been experienced got worse.

"Breathe, Cameron, I need you to breathe," came House's voice through the fog that had taken over her brain.

She felt when he first touched her, and then she was being moved. Something hard poked against her chin, and it took her a second to realize it was his shoulder. His hand ran up and down her back, attempting to coax a normal breathing pattern out of her.

Her breathing eventually slowed down, and her heartbeat followed it. "I'm scared," Cameron whispered when she felt tears running down her face.

"I understand that, but if you don't want your heart to fail, I need you to relax and concentrate on breathing," House explained.

She nodded against his shoulder, wiping her tears on his jacket before she lay back down on the hospital bed.

"What do you want to do, Cameron?" he asked her softly.

"I don't know," she admitted between deep breaths.

House threw his cane at the armchair and hopped on one leg onto her hospital bed. "We obviously can't do open heart surgery on you to repair the valve," he explained.

"I know," Cameron added petulantly. "I'm a doctor too, remember?"

He seemed to ignore her change in attitude. "You seemed unwilling to terminate the smaller fetus earlier, so the strain on your heart and lungs is only going to get worse."

"I can't just terminate one baby, House." She didn't mention how she'd almost terminated the whole pregnancy weeks before—after all, she'd changed her mind, and she wasn't about to change it back.

"You wouldn't just be killing one fetus… you'd be improving his sibling's chances dramatically, not to mention your own," he pointed out.

"Can't we discuss this after we get a better look at my echo and EKG?" she asked, desperate to end the discussion.

"Do you want me to treat you?" was his response.

Cameron didn't even hesitate before she replied, "Of course." Their failed relationship or their history of disagreements over course of action when it came to patients, were irrelevant, because when it came down to it, there was no doctor in the world whom Cameron trust more.

"Then I need to know that you're willing to do whatever it takes to come out of this alive," he explained. "I understand if you don't want to make any critical decisions before we have more information, but our treatment options are limited—I am not going to let you die because you weren't willing to make a tough call, do you understand?"

Cameron nodded.

"I'm going to call the ultrasound guy back in, then we're going to get the other tests done," House added as he got off her bed and retrieved his cane. "You better cancel your tickets to Minnesota."


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"We've got good news, and bad news," Foreman announced as he and Chase entered Cameron's room.

House put his newspaper down, stealing a quick glance at Cameron to make sure she wasn't hyperventilating again. "Hit me," he instructed Foreman.

"The echo shows the mitral valve area is 1.2 square centimeters," Chase explained, "so we've confirmed the diagnosis. There is some calcium build-up, but we should be able to keep that under control."

"The EKG basically confirms what we already know," Foreman added. "You're suffering from moderate to severe mitral valve stenosis, and atrial fibrillations were present but mild. I would suggest a balloon valvotomy, but we can't do that until you deliver."

House rested his forehead on his cane as he considered the news—it was exactly what he'd expected and predicted, but the fact that the patient was Cameron was beginning to affect him more and more by the hour, and it was getting harder to remain objective.

Foreman continued to deliver the news. "The ultrasound showed separate embryo sacs and placentas, and although Twin B was underdeveloped, the amount of amniotic fluid around him wasn't too worrisome. We consulted with Dr. Jensen, and he agrees that the fetus could be viably delivered after thirty weeks if his development doesn't worsen."

House heard Cameron exhale with relief, and it wasn't until his own hands relaxed around his cane that he realized he too had been concerned.

"That's good news," Cameron commented before she turned to House. "It's good news, right?"

House nodded. "Weekly EKGs, echos and ultrasounds—we'll monitor your condition, keep you on beta-blockers, and if it doesn't get worse, and if fetal development remains stable, we'll deliver at thirty weeks." They were big 'ifs' but for once in his life, smashing a patient's hopes seemed too cruel for him.

"Thirty-four weeks," Cameron argued. "I want to make it to thirty-four."

"Longer isn't necessarily better," House pointed out. "The longer they stay in, the higher the chance that the medication in your bloodstream will affect their lung capacity, blood pressure and heart rate once they're born. Getting them out earlier could actually improve their chances."

He watched as Cameron's lower lip trembled.

"How far along is she?" House asked Chase.

"Dr. Jensen estimated eighteen weeks and three days," Chase informed Cameron.

House turned back to Cameron, taking a deep breath. "We shoot for thirty-two weeks, not any longer," he negotiated.

She closed her eyes, but nodded.

"You better think that bed is comfortable, because it'll be your home for the next… oh, fifteen weeks and four days."

Cameron looked at him with surprised eyes. "You're putting me on bed rest?"

"If you think I'm letting you leave this hospital, you're delusional," House pointed out as he used his cane handle to pull the TV remote to him. "And I hope you enjoy _General__Hospital_, because this recliner is much more comfortable than my office chair."


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Something surprisingly similar to a cane banging against her mattress woke Cameron up.

"Oh good, you're awake," House said when she opened her eyes.

"Wha…?" she asked as she tried to focus on the scruffy face at the foot of her bed.

"We have a patient," House announced.

Cameron blinked, eyes roaming around the room to make sure she was still in the hospital. "I'm your patient," she pointed out.

"_Our_," House corrected. "You're our patient—one of our current patients, that is. Despite my previous stance to keep our collected mental abilities on one case, you are technically already diagnosed. Hence our new patient," he explained, moving to the whiteboard that was still in her room.

"I'm… not in the team anymore," Cameron reminded him, eyes darting to Chase and Foreman.

"What do you mean?" Chase asked, confused.

"I qu--…" she began to say before House interrupted her.

"If you're talking about your request for a _leave of absence,_" House added emphatically, "Cuddy and I have already discussed that. You're back to work, with restrictions, of course. No labs, no leg work, no dealing with patients...'

"So, basically she's you," Foreman quipped. "Isn't putting her back on duty asking for a lawsuit if anything were to happen? No offense," he added towards Cameron.

"None taken," Cameron replied, still confused.

"I suppose it's legally… risky—but Cuddy has a big heart under those huge knockers, and she knows that Cameron is only going through a temporary disability. She's confined to this hospital, and since we can still use her knowledge as an immunologist and diagnostician, Cuddy agreed to put Cameron back on duty," House explained. "One hundred percent of the pay and only thirty percent of the job. Considering that optimistically, you'll have two extra mouths to feed in fifteen weeks and three days, you are welcome."

"That's not fair," Chase argued.

"Tell me about it," House said with a straight face. "No, seriously, tell me about it. Go fill out a grievance form, and tell me what you really think. Make sure to put it in that basket-shaped inbox under my desk. And don't worry, when you get pregnant with twins, I'll make sure to give you same treatment."

Chase rolled his eyes.

"So back to our newest patient…" House began.

"Is this like our office now?" Chase interrupted.

Cameron sighed. It was going to be a long fifteen weeks.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"How's Cameron doing?"

House looked up from his computer screen at Wilson. "Her hospital room is three doors down from my office, go ask her. Foreman and Chase are there now."

Wilson frowned. "I've been there several times, but I want to know how she's doing medically—and before you tell me she's a doctor, I _know_ that."

House closed his browser window before Wilson could peek at it; then he reached for his oversized tennis ball and started playing with it. A couple of minutes went by before House answered the question. "She's doing better than I expected."

"How long has she been here? Two weeks now?"

House nodded, realizing it would be three soon. Before he could stop it, a massive yawn took control of his facial muscles and he dropped his ball.

"Tired much?" Wilson asked.

"A little," House admitted. Every time he went home, he couldn't get any sleep—he would toss and turn in anxiety over Cameron's prognosis. He'd slept in his office a few times, but the best sleep he was able to get lately was in the recliner in Cameron's hospital room. If he kept falling asleep there, however, it would raise questions from Cameron and the rest of the staff. "Wanna write me a prescription for sleeping pills?"

Wilson laughed. "Uh, let me think about that one—do I want to give a man addicted to hydrocodone a prescription for habit-forming sleeping pills?"

"A _doctor_ addicted to hydrocodone," House corrected him.

"Try the over-the-counter stuff," Wilson suggested.

House bent down to retrieve the fallen ball. "As if _Tylenol PM_ is any less habit-forming than the shit they sell behind the counter."

"Go ask Cuddy," Wilson replied, effectively ending that strain of the conversation. "Twins, huh? Who would have thought…"

_Definitely not me, _House thought. "Freaks of nature," he commented. "System worked perfectly fine for _homo sapiens_ with one offspring at a time, and then BAM!"

"Cameron seems okay with it… surprised, but okay," Wilson pointed out.

"It's Cameron—she'll probably be spouting some stupid cliché about how it's just more of them to love or some similar bullshit."

"She's a strong woman," Wilson stated. "Did she mention she was seeing anyone? There's a bet going on, you know, on who's the father…"

House dropped the ball to the ground again.

Wilson continued his prodding. "I thought I might have had some insider information, since I _know_ you two weresleeping together at one point, but when I thought of betting on you, Foreman and Chase brought up the point that you didn't know about the pregnancy in the first place... not to mention your current lack of—_concern_."

"I put two-hundred dollars on the janitor myself," House deflected..

"You're not denying it," Wilson pointed at him. "Which means I'm right. You got her pregnant," the oncologist began pacing. "How could you not know? Was there—did she…?"

House picked up the ball again and threw it as hard as he could against the wall; it bounced right back to him. "She broke things up a few months ago… and she was planning to move back home. Can't blame her, I'm about as far from father material as anyone can be. Cameron might be naïve, but she's not delusional. She was right to try to run."

Wilson stared at him, slack-jawed. "Are you sure—are you sure you should be treating her, House? I mean, I know you're not big on ethics, but these are some seriously dangerously waters here."

"I have not done anything unethical so far—which has to be a first. Every medical decision I've made has been completely objective. I've asked Cameron if she would like another doctor, but aside from consults from her high-risk OB-GYN, she has refused."

Wilson sat down, looking extremely pale. "This is—this is big… no, this is huge. Do you think she'll make it to thirty-two weeks?"

"That's what she's hoping for," House mumbled.

"And you're hoping for…?" Wilson prodded.

"I'm hoping that my patient, _Cameron_, will make a full recovery," House gritted out.

Wilson stood up again and recommenced the pacing. "And the babies?"

"Fetuses," House corrected. "They're fetuses."

"How can you say that? They have part of _your _DNA!" Wilson accused, making his way towards House.

"My DNA isn't causing her atrial fibrillations," House explained as he stood up, staring Wilson in the eyes. "What do you want me to do?"

"Show you care!" Wilson yelled. "Show that for once you care about a pregnant patient and that you are hoping she makes it as close to full-term as she can."

"I'm not going to grow attached to two unborn fetuses that are slowly killing Cameron!" House shouted as the ball in his hand was lunged at high speed towards his television set. The noise of glass breaking caused both men to jump apart. House dropped back to his chair, holding his head with his hands. "I'm only waiting twelve more weeks—I'm not going to let her die for something I caused."


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"Dr. Cameron, are you busy?"

Cameron looked up from a chart to see Cuddy standing at the entrance to the hospital room. "No, Dr. Cuddy, just signing off on a couple charts," Cameron replied as she sat up, pushing the tray with the charts away from her. "Come on in."

"Thanks," Cuddy said as she made her way into the hospital room. "Just wanted to see how you were."

"Pretty well, all things considered," Cameron assured with a soft smile. "Bed rest is the worst part of it—not used to just being in one place for long periods of time. Doing paperwork and working on cases helps," she added. "I still haven't thanked you for letting me stay."

Cuddy shook her head. "You don't need to thank me… you're a talented doctor, we're lucky that you're still with us, though I wish it were under better circumstances."

Cameron nodded.

"How is the pregnancy going?"

The curiosity in Cuddy's voice took Cameron by surprise; Chase and Foreman didn't care enough to ask about her pregnancy unless it was medically relevant, and she tended to avoid the subject around House—she realized that most of the time, she didn't actually feel pregnant.

Cameron glanced down at her own stomach, running her hand slowly over the expanding skin—she was definitely showing now as the belly stretched the fabric of the PPTH t-shirt she was wearing. After a few days at the hospital, she'd woken up to see a suitcase full of old t-shirts and pajamas by her hospital bed—it was a complete bed rest wardrobe, so she wouldn't have to wear gowns for however long she had to stay at the hospital. She'd thanked House for bringing them, but he'd shrugged it off during a _General__Hospital_ commercial break.

"It's great," Cameron finally answered Cuddy's question. "My back's been killing me today, but I think I've been feeling them kick," she confessed.

"Really?" Cuddy inquired with interest.

She nodded. "Here, give me your hand," she said, not surprised when Cuddy promptly complied. Cameron waited for one of the twins to act up, and sure enough there was a soft jab against her right side.

"Oh!" Cuddy exclaimed in amazement. "That was a definite kick," she verified.

Cameron felt herself breaking into a wide smile as a similar jab occurred near her left hip. "Yeah, sometimes it's barely there, but it's starting to pick up in frequency. It's comforting," she confessed.

"Know the sex yet?" Cuddy asked.

Cameron shook her head. "No, they've been uncooperative during every ultrasound. We're pretty sure Twin B is a girl, but it's hard to tell with their current positioning. And, I know this sounds cliché, but I don't care what they are as long as they're okay."

"I can understand that," Cuddy replied reassuringly. "If you ever need someone to gush over baby books with, or to talk about things, you know where to reach me."

Cameron tried to smile, but her face contorted in pain instead.

"Dr. Cameron!" Cuddy called for her, but Cameron couldn't reply as she doubled over in pain. "Get me Dr. House!"

Cameron's world closed in on her, and she knew she was close to losing consciousness. "Don't--," she gasped, hearing the alarm of the heart monitor behind her going off. With the last part of her brain that wasn't overtaken by pain, she realized she had to relax and get her breathing under control, or she could risk a heart attack on top of whatever was happening to her.

Her room spun as Cuddy pushed the hospital bed from its spot, which usually meant one thing.

"Don't intubate," Cameron begged between gasps. Her eyes closed with relief as she felt an oxygen mask being slipped over her face instead. "Thank you," she whispered to Cuddy.

The hospital administrator had tears in her eyes as she looked down at Cameron with concern.

It was the last thing Cameron saw before she lost consciousness.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"What happened?" House shouted as he entered the hospital room, watching as Cuddy and a nurse hovered over Cameron's bed.

"She was fine, and then she doubled over in pain," Cuddy managed to say.

He glanced at the monitor by the bed, pleased to see that her O2 sats, heart rate and blood pressure were normal—judging from the intubation kit Cuddy was clutching in her hands and the oxygen mask Cameron was wearing, he was pretty sure that hadn't been the case two minutes ago.

"Get me an ultrasound cart," he ordered, resisting the urge to yell at the nurse for not running faster. He pulled the blanket off Cameron's lap, and he could see there was a small a mount of blood on the bed.

"Is she miscarrying?" Cuddy asked frantically.

"I don't know!" he replied harshly before handing the hospital administrator a pair of scissors, and a clean hospital gown. "Cut her clothes off, and put this gown on."

Cuddy complied as another nurse appeared and helped her. The original nurse returned with an ultrasound cart, and House pushed the woman out of the way, carrying the machine to Cameron's bedside and almost tripping on his own cane.

He had no time to play hide-and-seek with the fetuses, so he just used his hands to try to locate them; unfortunately the uterine wall was too hard from the contractions for him to be able to find anything.

"Here," Cuddy pulled the sonogram wand out of its holder and placed it against Cameron's right side; the image of one of the fetus quickly appeared on the screen.

"I got it," House barked, taking over the exam again.

"She said they were kicking," Cuddy explained. "I felt one of them kick there."

"What's going on?" Foreman asked as he ran inside the room.

"I don't know yet," House explained, moving the wand north towards Cameron's ribs. "There!" he pointed at the screen. "Partial placental abruption."

Foreman squinted next to House. "I don't see it, House."

"It's there. Small clot is causing it, it's on Twin A's placenta" he pointed to a specific area of the screen. "Put her on heparin again—I want her attached to a fetal monitor at all times."

"Is she going to be okay?" Cuddy asked.

House resisted the urge to question Cuddy's medical skills, choosing instead to shake his head. "I don't know," he replied honestly. "I really don't know."


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

It was after dusk when Cameron regained consciousness; it made it easier on her eyes to adjust to the semi-lit room, but it still took her a couple of minutes for her to recognize House's form next to her bed.

"House?" she asked, confused.

His head jerked slightly and she realized she'd woken him up.

Her throat felt raw, and there was an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth but not tracheal tube. "What happened?" she mumbled through the plastic.

House pushed a button and the light above her head came on. "You had a clot—caused a partial placental abruption," he explained.

Cameron gasped as the memory started to return to her of the pain she'd been in. "Are they—are they okay?"

It felt like an eternity passed before House rubbed his eyes and nodded. "You have a fetal monitor on," he pointed out with a hoarse voice, and her hands dropped to the elastic band around her stomach. "Their heartbeats have remained normal—they don't seem to be under stress. You, on the other hand, are still having irregular contractions."

"Is the clot gone?"

"We gave you heparin six hours ago," he offered as an answer. "Your blood pressure was high for a second there, but it dropped back to normal. I should've kept you on heparin this whole time."

Cameron recognized the guild in his voice, and she reached for the arm of his that was resting on her bed. "It's not your fault—heparin is dangerous during a pregnancy, and I had no clots for four weeks. I would've made the same call."

He didn't argue with her, but she knew he was still blaming himself from the way his eyes looked glassy as he stared at her, chin propped on his cane handle. "I think you scarred Cuddy for life."

Cameron frowned. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, Wilson drove her home, but I'm expected to call with updates every three hours."

She felt a little relieved, but she couldn't help but still worry about the scare. "If I had had to deliver today, what would've been their chances?" she whispered, even though she already knew the answer.

"Twenty-two weeks, with your condition…" House added softly, "…less than zero."

Her voice caught in her throat as she asked, "Did you think about doing it?"

House nodded. "Yeah."

She knew he was still her proxy—she'd been unconscious, he could've ordered the c-section, and she could be waking up from her balloon valvotomy by now… but he didn't. He'd respected her wishes. "Thank you."


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

House was channel surfing when he heard Cameron sigh behind him. He muted the TV and turned toward her, wondering why she sounded so sad.

It had been three weeks since the abruption scare, and she'd been clot-free since. She had been literally confined to her bed for two weeks before he authorized the removal of her catheter, and he still worried every time she got up to use the bathroom. Foreman and Chase were at some conference in New York City, so House was literally camped in Cameron's room.

"What's wrong?" he asked when she sighed again.

"Nothing," she replied with a ghost of her usual voice.

"Right," he added sarcastically.

"I hate being confined to this bed," she complained. "I know why I need to do it, but I hate it."

House arched his eyebrows in surprise—he never actually expected Cameron to act like a normal human being… even after sleeping with her, he still saw her as above most human beings. But here she was, complaining like a normal person should. "What do you hate about it?"

She picked at her blanket for imaginary lint. "I miss jogging. I miss yoga. I miss cooking—I even miss cleaning. And I really miss taking a shower—not a sponge bath from a nurse, a real shower… washing my hair so it doesn't look and feel disgusting."

It was endearing—most guys probably hated hearing a pregnant woman bitch and moan, but House wasn't most guys. "I can't help with the first few complaints, but I think we can manage a shower."

Cameron tilted her head, glaring incredulously at him. "You're going to let me take a shower?"

"No. I'm going to _help_ you take a shower," House clarified.

"You have a bad leg," she pointed out.

"And remarkable experience with taking showers in hospitals," he reminded her, getting up and limping to the bathroom.

"What are you going to do if I slip?" came Cameron's question, the last part slightly muffled as he started running the water.

House poked his head at her room and pointed at the button attached to the bathroom wall next to him. "Alarm… anything happens, we push it. In thirty seconds, there'd be more nurses in here than you can count."

He re-entered the room and retrieved three large towels from the linen closet, as well as a new gown—she could change into regular clothes later if she wanted. He deposited the items on the closed toilet lid and watched as Cameron unplugged herself from the monitors.

"Unplug the IV too," House suggested. "Don't want you tripping on any cords… And you better hurry, because I'm turning this water off in eight minutes, whether you're done or not."

He watched as Cameron entered the bathroom, her growing stomach kind of startled him—he'd only seen it when she was lying down or sitting in her bed.

"Are you gonna strip, or you wanna try a wet t-shirt look first?"

Cameron's eyes went wide as she seemed to realize for the first time what her wanted shower would entail. "Are you sure you want to do this, House? I could get a nurse."

He rolled his eyes. "It's nothing I haven't seen before," he reminded her. "In all its Technicolor glory."

She blushed as she slowly moved to remove her t-shirt and sweatpants; she stared at her feet and flexed her sock-clad toes. "Uh… I can't reach them."

House blinked. "You can't reach your _feet_?"

Cameron shook her head. "No, the nurses have been helping me put my socks on for the past three days."

The belly was even bigger unclothed; Cameron was twenty-five weeks but she looked like thirty-two weeks at least. "You're huge," he pointed out accusingly. Her arms and legs still looked the same, undoubtedly a side-effect of the hospital food she'd been eating for the past several weeks, but her mid-section was unrecognizable.

"There's two of them in there," she protested.

"More like one-point-five," House argued, as he glanced at her feet. Kneeling to take the socks off for her was not an option—he'd never get up with his dignity intact or without his thigh throbbing in pain. "Raise your left foot," he instructed, and when she did, he pushed at the offending item with his cane until it gave in and fell to the ground. He repeated the procedure with the right foot, and soon Cameron was barefoot against the hospital bathroom floor.

"Impressive," she commended.

House smirked. "Need help with your oh-so-sexy underwear too?" he asked, raising his cane towards her hip, where the oversized cotton panties clung to her body unflatteringly.

Cameron shook her head. "No, I can still reach there," she quickly added as she removed the offending garment.

"Get inside, and if you feel as much as a cramp, tell me," he demanded and she nodded.

He grabbed a washcloth and poured some of the body wash/shampoo/conditioner/lotion four-in-one crap that the hospital had on it. He handed the washcloth to Cameron, watching as she moaned with relief at the simple pleasure of a shower. Once she'd lathered up the entire upper half of her body that she could reach, he instructed her to sit down on the metal stool that was bolted to the shower stall.

He picked up the four-in-one bottle and poured some of the liquid onto her hair; he rinsed and repeated, attempting not to watch as the white suds ran down her chest, which had dramatically improved in size. "Hand me the washcloth," he requested when he was done with her hair. After she complied, he ran the washcloth over her back; as he reached her sides, just below her ribs, he felt something moving under his skin.

"Ouch," she complained.

House froze in fear. "What is it? Contraction?"

She shook her head. "Nothing, just a particularly sharp foot."

"It kicked?" he asked, sounding amazed. He knew and understood the mechanics behind movement and spasms of fetuses _in utero_, but he hadn't seen or heard about _these_ fetuses kicking.

Cameron nodded, "Yeah, they just woke up. I think it's the water," she pointed to a spot by her belly button where the skin was being pushed against from the inside.

House's breath caught in his throat as he watched, dumbfounded.

"Is my time up?" Cameron asked after several seconds of silence on his part.

House blinked. "What?"

"My eight minutes," Cameron reminded him.

"Oh yeah, let's get you back in bed before one of the nurses notices you're missing from your bed." He wrapped a towel around her hair, and handed her another.

"If they yelled at me, I'd just say my doctor was the one who convinced me," she pointed out.

"Yeah, and then Cuddy would have my ass on a platter first thing in the morning after one of her nurses caught a male doctor bathing his female patient-slash-subordinate."

Cameron's eyes met his, "Cuddy knows, House. She knew after your surgery."

House nodded. "Yeah, but I think she would appreciate it if we didn't skew the odds on the paternity bet going on around the hospital," he pointed out.

"Right," Cameron dropped the argument and nodded. "And thanks, I really needed this."

"Anytime," House replied. "Though if you get any bigger, we might need a forklift to get you back in here."

A shower was apparently just the medicine Cameron had needed, because she actually laughed.


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"House!"

House jerked in his sleep, having an annoying dream where Cameron was yelling at him for a reason he didn't know.

"House, wake up!"

Oh wait—not a dream. House opened just one tentative eye, slowly scanning his office. It wasn't until he inspected the door that he found the source of the annoying voice. "Cameron, what are you doing up? Everything okay?" he demanded to know as he saw her walk into his office, IV meds and saline following close behind on their rack.

"Right, I'm in labor and decided to walk over here to let you know," she quipped with an eye-roll. "Blood pressure was low during the morning rounds, so the nurse suggested that I take a short walk."

House frowned as he got up from his yellow chair where he'd been sleeping, offering it to Cameron.

"Last I checked, _doctor _trumped _nurse—_ you should've had them page me," he chided as he popped open his pill bottle and took two vicodins. Damn chair was a bitch on his leg.

"Last I checked, I was a doctor too," Cameron reminded him, with enough attitude to rival a PMSing Cuddy.

"Had a nice cup of _bitch _with your IV this morning?" he quipped, and the glare it earned him made him realize he was on a slippery slope.

Cameron managed to sit down on his chair after only two attempts. He wondered how many people were going to need to help her up. He wasn't sure how she was supposed to make it for another three and a half weeks until their appointed date, let alone how she'd ever make it to forty weeks if she had no complications. The whole thing made walking with a limp look like the easiest thing ever.

"What are you doing here on a Saturday morning?" Cameron asked as she glanced around the office. "Do we have a patient you haven't told me about?"

House rubbed his eyes. "No patient," he replied. "It's Saturday? Where did Friday go?"

Cameron shrugged. "You stole my rice pudding yesterday, remember? That's the highlight of Friday's lunch menu," she reminded him. "Did you sleep here?"

House tried to shrug innocently, but he wasn't too successful. "Maybe."

"It can't be good for your leg," she pointed out.

"I'm fine," he lied.

"I know you better than that, House. Go home, and get some sleep."

"I'm awake now, it's pointless to go home," he replied. The truth was that every time he went home lately, it was usually just for a shower and new set of clothes—but he wasn't about to admit that to her. "And if today is Saturday, then it means encore for every episode of _General__Hospital_ that aired this week, and we did miss Tuesday's episode because of our patient's untimely crash. Thank god we diagnosed the bastard—if he'd made me miss another episode, I was going to have to resort to extreme measures."

"_You_ missed Tuesday's episode," Cameron added, "I didn't."

"You watched it without me?" House asked, feigning only half of the pain in his voice.

Cameron shrugged. "I had to know if Sophie would get out of her coma."

"You're weak," House accused, "and evil."

"I have an excuse," she replied, pointing to her belly.

"Not for long," he reminded her. "Just twenty-five more days."

Cameron pouted. "I'm not ready."

"No one ever is," House pointed out.

"Yeah, but most people get forty weeks."

"Most people don't get multiple tiny little parasitical humans inside then making their host's heart so weak it almost kills them."

Cameron sighed, "I'm sorry, you're right, House -- as usual."

House's ears perked up. "What was that, could you say it again louder? Maybe I can get it on a digital recorder so I can play it back to Foreman, Chase and Wilson?"

She rolled her eyes, but there was a definite smile on her lips. "Forget I said anything," she ordered.

"Yeah, big fat chance of that," he said. "Come on, let's get you back to you room before the nurses put out an APB on you."

"Fine," Cameron replied as she began building momentum to get out of the chair. After four failed attempts at getting up, she looked up at House expectantly.

"Don't look at me," he pointed to his bad leg. "Cripple, remember?"

Cameron sighed. "Hand me your cane at least."

He did as asked, but not before muttering, "You better not break it."

She managed to stand up, glaring at him in such a way that caused his reproductive system to shrivel just a bit.


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"Patients need to learn to warn before they puke," House observed as he entered Cameron's room.

Cameron's face twisted in a way that had nothing to do with House's story.

"I was able to move just in time, or Cuddy was going to have to pick up this dry-cleaning bill," he continued to say, oblivious to her discomfort. "Chase wasn't so lucky… you should've se—Cameron?"

His voice sounded distant even though he was only a couple feet away from her bed. She counted to ten again, hoping the third time was the charm.

"What's wrong?" House asked, pushing his cane toward the alarm button next to her.

She was able to stop it before the cane made contact, and then her abdomen relaxed again, and she was able to breathe without fear of losing consciousness. "Braxton-Hicks," she explained.

House looked skeptic as he limped towards the fetal monitor. "You sure?"

She nodded, reaching for the cup of water next to the bed. "Been having them all morning," she added. A small sip made her feel better, and Cameron adjusted the angle of the bed to try to alleviate the stiffness in her lower back.

"Braxton-Hicks don't come in neat intervals of twelve minutes," House pointed out as he looked through the past hour's worth of fetal activity. He dropped the roll of paper back to the ground as he limped to the telephone. "Page doctors Foreman, Chase and Jensen to 306, and get me 20 mg of Betametasane and 15 mg of Decadron."

"What's going on?" Cameron asked, confused.

"You're in early labor," House explained as he turned the fetal monitor's sound on.

"No, I'm not," Cameron argued. "I would know if I were."

House stared at her with nervous eyes. "Refresh my mind on symptoms of early labor, Dr. Cameron."

"Contractions in regular and decreasing intervals, backache, pelvic pressure…" she trailed off as she recognized the symptoms. "Oh god—I still have another week to go," she protested.

"Not anymore," House pointed out. "We'll be lucky to delay this for twenty-four hours to give the steroids time to work. Now get on your side, we're going to try to slow this down the old-fashioned way."

"You have to stop it," Cameron said, as she turned on her side and reached to grab House by the arm. "Give me magnesium sulfate, make them stop."

He surprised her by stopping his frantic movement and placing a hand on her pillow, next to her head. "I am not giving tocolytic drugs to a patient with mitral valve stenosis," he explained calmly to her. "It's too dangerous."

"You do dangerous treatments all the time," she reminded him.

His eyes met hers, and she could tell there was something he wanted to say but didn't. He broke eye contact and turned the overhead lamp on, making it harder for Cameron to see his facial expressions.

"You're right, I do dangerous treatments all the time, but it wouldn't just be dangerous, it would be stupid as well," he pointed out. "I'm not as big on stupid."

"Chase is downstairs with the patient," Foreman explained as he entered the room. "Is she in labor?"

"Yeah," House replied, sounding slightly panicked.

Cameron started to struggle to catch her breath. The sounds of House telling Foreman what was happening were muffled by the sounds of her own breathing, echoing in her mind.

She began feeling dizzy; the feeling of ice running through her veins in her arms made her regain her focus, and she looked to see House injecting meds through the IV.

"Get her chart," House ordered and Foreman scampered to retrieve it.

"Got it," Foreman announced, flipping through the pages.

"Weight on both fetuses according to last ultrasound?" House asked as he pulled up her gown to examine her abdomen.

A nurse appeared out of nowhere. "Dr. Jensen is performing a c-section, it'll be a few minutes," and then she was gone again.

"Weight, weight… Twin A: three pounds, nine ounces, and Twin B: two pounds, fourteen ounces," Foreman replied. "That's as of four days ago."

Cameron was still struggling with breathing, and she felt the whole room spinning.

House got her attention by shaking her face slightly, "Cameron, focus, we can't afford to have you lose consciousness," he reminded her. "Twin A is over three pounds, and twin B is close enough; they have good chances," he insisted. "But they need twenty-four hours to mature their lungs, and they're not going to get that unless you focus."

She nodded, willing herself to relax. "What do I do?" she asked.

"Keep lying on your side—I want you to breathe in and out, in and out. Whatever you do, don't push during a contraction… we have to keep you from entering active labor for as long as we can," he instructed. "Can you do that?"

She nodded again.

"Foreman, get me an ice pack, and go tell Chase to keep an OR on hold for the next thirty-six hours. We need two teams ready, one to perform a balloon valvotomy and one to perform the c-section. Tell NICU to expect two new arrivals as well," House barked out before limping to the other side of her bed.

The feeling of pressure against her back felt perfect, and Cameron felt her heart rate slowing down slightly. "What's that?" she asked.

"My hands, I'm applying pressure to the lumbar area. We're going to apply ice to it, and then I'm going to knead the muscles in your lower back during contractions. It's almost time for another contraction—as soon as you feel it start, take deep breaths through your mouth and start counting to sixty."

Just as he said it, her entire abdomen stiffened and the pain returned. She made it to thirty-five before the contraction ended.

It was almost impossible to keep from giving in to the fear that threatened to take over. She felt tears slipping down her face and onto the pillow, uncaring of whether or not House saw her crying.

"Have you thought about names?" he asked her, hands still massaging her back.

She knew he was just making small talk to distract her—distraction sounded like a good idea, so she decided to reply honestly. "Yeah, I have."

"Hit me with what you got so far."

"I like Abigail and Sarah," she admitted.

"Pretty good, but they might resent that considering they're boys," he pointed out.

"You don't know that," she argued. "I think they're girls."

"Fifty bucks says you're wrong," he teased.

"Save your money for child support," she teased back, the words leaving her mouth before she could stop them. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have—it was just a joke."

"Don't worry, no one else is here," House reassured her. "And this might not be the time to discuss this, but I'll gladly pay child support for my _sons._"

She let out the breath she'd been holding. "Daughters, you mean."

"You're going to be so wrong."


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

"Dr. House?"

House stared at the silent newborn, oblivious to the chaos around him or the NICU nurse that kept following him. Cries filled the air, but they came from across the room, not from his hands.

"House, she's not breathing, they need to intubate her," Foreman explained to him. "Hand her over."

House shook his head as he rubbed the small infant in his hands, trying to coax a breath out of her. "Don't intubate yet," House instructed, limping to a table and setting the newborn down. "She'll breathe… come on, breathe!" he yelled, loud enough to startle Foreman.

It seemed to startle to baby as well, because she began gasping in his hands, drawing some much needed air into her lungs.

House sighed with relief as he continued to rub the baby clean; his heart was still pounding on his chest when he looked at Foreman and said, "See? Told you she could breathe on her own."

Foreman actually looked glassy-eyed as he nodded.

"Where's the boy?" House asked, not hearing the other distant set of cries anymore.

"He was taken to NICU—four pounds, and he's not having problems breathing. But they want to keep a close eye on his vitals," Foreman explained.

Relief washed over House again, and he let the shadow of a smile through.

"How's Cameron doing?" House asked before he wrapped the infant in a blanket and handed her to a NICU nurse.

"Slow heart rate, but blood pressure is normal," Chase replied he began an incision in her upper thigh.

House limped to Cameron, the vision of her eyes taped shut made him uncomfortable. They'd administered the anesthesia as soon as she'd hit the twenty-four hour marker; Cameron had wanted to remain awake, but House had pointed out that any stress during the c-section could send her into cardiac arrest—general anesthesia was their best option.

Her abdomen was still being sutured from the c-section and tubal ligation; her heart rate had been all over the place while they'd gotten the twins out, and House ordered Chase to begin the valvotomy as soon as Dr. Jensen finished.

As the Australian started to insert the catheter, House held his breath.


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Cameron woke up in pain. It took her a few seconds to recognize her surroundings—the post-op ward at Princeton Plainsboro.

"House?" she whispered hoarsely, feeling him nearby but unable to see him.

"Don't try to talk," he instructed her. Three seconds later, he appeared in her field of vision, carrying a plastic cup.

She drank the water he brought in a few gulps, feeling her throat improve. She pointed towards the morphine drip when she handed him the plastic cup.

"In pain?" House asked and she nodded. "Good friends share," he quipped as he punched in the codes to increase the dosage.

It took less than a minute for the pain to dull.

"The valvotomy was a success," House informed her. "We'll need to continue monitoring to make sure you don't need a replacement of the valve, but so far you've had normal sinus rhythm and no atrial fibrillations."

She sighed with relief.

"Babies?" she mouthed, fearing his answer.

"A boy and a girl," he answered, pouring her more water. He sat by her side as he handed her the plastic cup again. "Boy, a.k.a. Twin A, is doing well… the other one needed some assistance to start breathing, and she's in an oxygen hood; if she continues having issues breathing, they may need to put her in a ventilator."

Cameron closed her eyes and tried to control her fears, but it was difficult. She tried to focus on the good news rather than the bad, tried to remind herself that they were nine weeks early and she'd known this was going to be an uphill battle.

"Can I see them?" She whispered, still unhappy at how hoarse her voice sounded.

House shook his head. "Maybe later, but you just had two surgeries after twenty-four hours of labor. You need to rest."

She knew there was no way he was going to change his mind, and she still felt exhausted. Rather than argue, she closed her eyes, hoping next time she woke up, she'd be able to see her daughter and son.


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"You rang?" House quipped as he entered Cuddy's office.

"I did," she said from behind her desk. "I need you to sign some paperwork."

House fought the urge to break something with his cane. "Cameron's in post-op. Paperwork can wait."

"No, it can't," Cuddy replied as she got up.

He limped to her desk, reaching for a pen. He scribbled his signatures on two sets of papers that she placed in front of him, and as soon as those were gone, he dropped the pen back to the table. "Can I go now?"

"Yes, but before you do, I should let you know you just signed both yours and Cameron's FMLA request. I never thought I'd say this, but you are forbidden from doing any work while in this hospital for the next twelve weeks."

House's hand froze on the doorknob. "I did not request a leave of absence," he protested.

"This paperwork states otherwise," Cuddy pointed out. "Under the Family and Medical Leave Act, I must grant any employee, who meets the requirements, a leave of up to twelve weeks to take care of sick family members. Guess what—you meet the requirements."

"Don't…" he warned, turning towards her.

Cuddy removed her glasses. "It's done. If you do not take this leave, I will fire you."

"You have no right!" he argued.

"Maybe you're right," she conceded. "But I said nothing when you started sleeping with your subordinate, or when you got her pregnant; I never once pulled you off her case for being too involved, and I let you in that OR yesterday…"

He cut her off, "I took no part in her surgery," he reminded her.

"House, you refused a NICU nurse access to a newborn that wasn't breathing!"

"They wanted to intubate right away," he explained.

"It doesn't matter," Cuddy replied, shaking her head. "What matters is that I've put my own ass on the line for you all these months; the least you can do is take this leave and go sit with your children in that NICU. Bond with them."

House slammed his cane against the floor of the office. "I can't!" His leg hurt like a bitch, but he refused to reach for his pills. "I can't go in there and pretend everything will be alright, just to watch one of them die!"

"You don't know if that'll be the case," Cuddy pointed out, and the look of pity on her face was almost enough to make her snap. "Even if it happens, they should at least have someone there with them, for as long as they have."

Cuddy's entire office shook when House angrily slammed the boor behind him.


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

Cameron tried not to look disappointed at the Australian accent. "Hey Chase," she said, voice still breaking a little. "I'm okay," she reassured him.

He made his way to her bedside. "I just wanna take a look at the incision," he told her before he lifted her gown and removed the thick padding that was covering the area where the catheter had entered. "Not bad," he commented. "Hopefully there'll be minimal scarring. I made sure to do my best."

Cameron attempted a smile. "Thank you again, for the valvotomy… you're a good surgeon."

"My pleasure," he reassured her as he replaced the dressings. "Have you been down to the NICU to see the babies yet?"

"Not yet," Cameron confessed.

"They're gorgeous," Chase offered in manner of comfort. "Just caught a quick glimpse at the two of them, but I think they look like you."

Cameron resisted the urge to vocalize her skepticism, choosing instead to just say, "Thank you."

Chase offered her one of his charming smiles. "Newborn twins—you're gonna have your hands full. If you ever need anything…" he offered, "… I'm really good with kids."

She couldn't muster the energy to fake a smile—she knew Chase was just being supportive, but her usual supply of patience was running at an all-time low, so she just nodded, hoping he was done with the examination.

"I'll be back tomorrow to check on it again," Chase informed her. "Make sure to have a nurse page me if you notice any bleeding from the area, or an increase in swelling."

"I will," she promised. Before he could leave, he stopped him. "Hey, Chase?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you seen House?"

"You haven't heard?" Chase asked, looking surprised. "Five hours ago, he put Foreman in charge of the department. House took a leave of absence."

Something inside her broke at the news, and Cameron tried not to let it show as she waved goodbye to Chase.

House had gone on leave—and hadn't even bothered to say goodbye to her. The irony of it all hit her with so much force that she couldn't keep her emotions under control.

If anyone saw Cameron crying, she'd just blame it on post-partum depression.


	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

House stared, dumbfounded, at the infant in front of him. Her tiny body was covered by wires and tubes, but she still struggled for every breath. She'd been a full three pounds at birth, but had lost two ounces over the past twenty-four hours—he knew it was normal for newborns to lose weight before they started to gain it, but it was impossible not to worry when every ounce mattered.

The biggest advantage of his reputation, House decided, was that he could sit for hours watching the babies—and as long as he stayed quiet, none of the nurses bugged him about visiting hours.

He'd requested for the twins to be moved to the same incubator, but that wasn't a possibility until Baby B's oxygen hood was removed—and so far they had no idea when that would be. There was still a good chance she'd have to be put on a ventilator; the doctors had acquiesced to House's request that they try to improve her breathing with drugs first.

For the first time in his life, he was truly scared of being wrong—the call had been the NICU pediatrician's, but House still felt terrified that his interference could, in any way, harm this child No matter how much he trusted his abilities, or his experience, he couldn't afford to be wrong on this one… there wouldn't be any time to switch treatments, or reverse a diagnosis.

House knew if she didn't show improvement, he could get her airlifted to Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital in a matter of minutes—he was still furious at Cuddy for the lack of an ECMO device at PPTH. The only reason House had refrained from moving his daughter so far was that he didn't want to separate her from her brother or Cameron.

"I didn't expect to see you here."

Wilson's voice startled both House and the preemie in the incubator, and House grunted. "Quiet!" he whispered. "Haven't you ever been in a NICU before?"

"Sorry," Wilson apologized as the startled infant started crying.

"Don't cry," House begged. "It's just Wilson, he's a moron," he explained to the infant, whose cries died down.

Wilson looked impressed. "I think we've just met the only human being who _isn't _annoyed by your voice."

House glared at him—he had plenty of replies, but he didn't want the baby to start crying again.

"She's so tiny," Wilson observed as he took her form in. "Where's the other one?"

House pointed to a second incubator behind his daughter.

"Whoa," Wilson whispered.

"Whoa covers a lot of it," House conceded, noticing just a slightly decrease in his daughter's apnea. He flagged down one of the nurses, and pointed to the cardiorespiratory monitor. "Her breathing is improving," he explained.

"Are you sure?" the nurse asked skeptically.

"Of course I'm sure," House replied harshly.

"I'll make a note of it," she promised before she ran away.

"She's getting better?" Wilson asked delicately.

House nodded. "Yeah… she is."


	23. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Cameron had been surprised when Wilson had shown up, volunteering to take her to the NICU and help her scrub in—but it was nothing compared to the surprise of finding House sitting by her daughter's incubator.

"What's House doing here?" she asked Wilson.

"You should ask him," Wilson suggested. "Good luck," he offered before he pushed her wheelchair next to House and left.

She wanted to ask House all the questions that were running through her mind, but the sight of her daughter made her temporarily forget everything else in the world. Cameron's hands reached out to touch the glass that protected her child, wishing she could hold the baby instead of settling for a poor substitute.

House cleared his throat. "Her breathing is improving—slowly but steadily. O2 sats are stable, and neither of them is having problems with blood pressure like we'd feared."

Cameron's throat closed up with emotion.

"He's barely showing any signs of RDS," House explained, voice still barely above a whisper.

"That's good, right?" she hated how needy her voice sounded—she was a doctor, yet at the first sign of trouble she kept looking up at him as if he were her very own Magic 8-Ball.

House nodded. "It's good… it's better than good—what's a word that's better than good? I'm not used to using any."

Cameron smiled, for what felt like the first time in forever. "It's great."

"_Great, _that's it," he replied, sounding pleased.

"You think I could hold him?" Cameron asked, knowing her daughter was too fragile to be held just yet.

House's eyes met hers and he was silent for a few seconds. "I'll have a nurse bring him to you," he conceded.

"Thank you."

"No problem," House replied as he got up and reached for the cane that had been dangling off a crash cart. "I'll give you some time with them—don't be scared if she looks like she can't breathe, her apnea can look pretty bad."

Cameron didn't have any time to reply before he left. She watched her daughter sleep for several minutes before the nurse tapped her shoulder, holding a bundle of blankets and hanging wires.

"Careful," the nurse whispered, "he's awake."

"Thanks," Cameron managed to say. Her arms weren't expecting the weight—the baby only weighed about four pounds, but it was still foreign to her. She quickly adjusted, cradling the head and supporting the body, careful not to let any of the tubes get caught on her hospital gown.

"Have you decided on a name?" the nurse asked softly.

Cameron shook her head. "No, I was expecting two girls," she confessed.

"I've heard that one before," the nurse replied in good humor. "You can talk to him, but watch out for any signs of over stimulation."

Cameron nodded, unable to take her eyes off the little boy in her arms. "Hi," she whispered, barely able to get the monosyllabic word out before choking.

The boy blinked just long enough for her to see a pair of blue eyes staring at her—there were hazel specks there, and she had a feeling they'd change colors soon. A tiny hand escaped its blanket confines and fingers wriggled as if he were playing a melody on an imaginary piano. Cameron hesitated a few times before reaching to touch the baby hand with her fingertips.

The baby yawned, and Cameron was glad he didn't have a feeding tube in his mouth, because the sight made every day of her bed rest worth it. "Are you tired?"

The only response she got was the baby cuddling closer to her, probably drawn to her body heat even through the multiple layers.

"You're really cute, has anyone told you that yet? Probably not, since it seems the only company you've had was a grumpy old man. Don't worry, he's all bark, no bite," Cameron reassured her son, who didn't seem too scared.

Cameron readjusted the knit hat over her son's head, noticing the thick blond curls for the first time. As she pushed his arm back inside the blankets, a foot poked out in response. His IV was taped to the foot, and Cameron checked it to make sure the needle hadn't moved out of place. Satisfied, she pushed the foot back inside the blanket, just to watch another hand come out, and this time he started crying.

"I'm sorry," she cooed, laughing softly.

"Making him cry already?" House joked, appearing behind her. "Maybe he spent too much time around Chase _in utero_—or Wilson—really, it's a toss-up between those two on who's the whiniest."

Cameron looked up at House and smiled. "We were playing a game, and I guess he got tired of it faster than I did," she explained as the cries stopped.

"Was it Twenty Questions? Can't really blame him for crying if it was," House pointed out before plopping down on the plastic chair next to her.

"Wanna hold him?" she offered.

House shook his head. "No, it's okay, you can keep him for a few more minutes until the nurse comes to put him back to bed."

"Thank you," Cameron replied sincerely, holding her son closer.

The baby still in the incubator stirred, letting out a small cry; Cameron was surprised to see House jump at the sound, his hand automatically reaching for the glass. "Shh…" he instructed the baby, who turned her head to the other side, gasped a couple of times then went back to sleep. He turned to Cameron, hands still on the glass. "You said you liked Abigail."

Cameron nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"I like it too," he admitted.

"Abigail Cameron," she tried out.

"Nope, doesn't have that ring to it," House argued. "Abigail House—infinitely better."

Cameron stared at him. "You're serious? You want to be their father?" she asked, as delicately as she could.

"Who said anything about _their_? I figured we got two of them, we can split them up—everyone's happy."

Cameron's jaw dropped. "You're not…? You're joking," she accused.

"Of course I'm joking," House added, rolling his eyes. "I've seen the 'Parent Trap'—both the original and the remake. Won't fall for that one again."

"You want them to have _your_ name…?" Cameron asked, still incredulous.

"To be honest, I don't care one way or another," House confessed. "But I am serious about being a father to them."

"The whole time I was pregnant…" she began to say, "you never mentioned wanting to be a father."

House pursed his lips. "That's because I didn't want to think about it. I couldn't wrap my thick head around the fact that you were pregnant with my children, and that they would come out this perfect."

"This isn't something you can take back, House," she warned, but before he could respond, a nurse appeared to shush them, ending their discussion for the time being.


	24. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

"I need your help," House announced as he entered Wilson's office.

"If I had a dollar, for every time…" Wilson began to say, before he was cut off.

"I need you to go shopping for me."

Wilson stared at his friend before breaking into laughter.

"I'm serious, I need you to go shopping for me," House repeated, pulling out the crumpled paper out of his shirt pocket and throwing it onto Wilson's desk.

Wilson browsed through the list, frowning. "Two cribs, two strollers, two changing tables, two sets of pajamas, two high-chairs, two training potties—what is this, House?"

"It's a shopping list," House clarified.

"Have you ever been around an infant before?" Wilson asked. "And I don't mean treating them for some mysterious disease-- I mean actually baby-sitting for an entire day."

House's silence was all the answer Wilson needed.

"Twins don't need two changing tables—most babies don't even need one since you learn to change them wherever. They don't use high-chairs until they're able to sit. They don't need a training potty until they're able to get to one. And they need more than one set of pajamas, not to mention about a dozen bottles—why are you buying all this stuff?"

"Cameron is still being monitored, Abigail still has the oxygen hood, and the still unnamed baby boy might be released to go home by the end of next week. Even if I leave the hospital to buy all that stuff, I can't carry most of it," House pointed out. "So I need you go to go pick up all the basic things."

"You're taking him home? With _you_?" Wilson asked, skeptical.

"Cameron's lease was up four months ago, and her stuff is all in storage," House explained.

Wilson's eyes widened, but he pocketed the list. "Fine, I'll get the stuff. But I'm not paying for it—not that I don't applaud your new stance, but if I don't teach you financial responsibility now, you'll never learn."

House rolled his eyes as he pulled out his no-limit credit card out of his wallet. "Take Cuddy with you," he suggested. "Baby stores make women horny."

"Is that how you got Cameron to sleep with you?" Wilson joked back as he reached for the card.

"No, I just acted like a cripple and she fell for it—which reminds me, I need you to write me a prescription for Phenytoin."

Wilson arched an eyebrow. "You're having seizures?"

"If I say yes, will you write me the prescription and stop asking questions?"

"No," Wilson replied honestly.

House sighed as he pointed to his cane and then reached for an oncology award on Wilson's desk, lifting the five-pound award; he tried to limp a few feet to the couch behind him, but he almost instantly lost balance. "I don't exactly inspire confidence carrying things; hasn't been much of an issue, but when the things I'm carrying are squirmy and have soft spots in their craniums, it could become a problem. I need the Phenytoin to help with the neuralgia when I begin exercising again."

"You're going back to physical therapy?"

"Yes. Don't worry-- I'll still be a cripple, but hopefully one that won't be called Slippery Greg by Child Protective Services."

Wilson didn't ask any more questions as he pulled his prescription pad out.

**Note: **While I'm not a big fan of storylines where Cameron reduces House's pain-pill intakes or forces him to exercise his leg (chronic pain is a bitch and if the guy wants to sit there, let him—it makes it for a more interesting character IMO), I felt in this case House would take the first step toward partial rehabilitation. I also would get really tired of writing 'House carefully limped to the couch, infant son precariously balanced in his arms,' so hopefully it works for you as a reader :)


	25. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

"It doesn't feel right to leave them at the hospital," Cameron pointed out as House worked on unlocking his front door. It still felt unreal to be somewhere other than the hospital; she'd never enjoyed a car ride as much as she had on the way to House's apartment.

"Yeah, I didn't get your hesitation the first eight times you've mentioned it over the past forty-five minutes," House reminded her as he opened the door, and let her in.

Cameron was about to chide him for being an inconsiderate bastard when she noticed his living room was no longer a living room; piano, couch and armchairs were all pushed against the corner, and there was an oversized crib next to the fireplace. As he opened the coat closet, she saw his guitar equipment inside.

"Wilson took care of everything," House explained. "Considering the lack of space, he picked out this twin crib rather than two individual cribs. Should be able to hold them until we find a new place with extra bedrooms."

Just when she thought her life couldn't get any weirder, it did. "A new place?" she asked carefully.

House nodded as he limped to the kitchen, helping himself to a beer and throwing her a water bottle. "Yeah, kids gotta have their own bedroom—preferably bedrooms," he pointed out. "I called Wilson's ex-wife – there are many, but I meant the one who's in real estate - and she's keeping an eye out for any places."

"House," Cameron said softly as she played with her water bottle cap, before setting the bottle down on the counter. "Don't you think we're moving a little too fast? I mean, I don't want to make the same mistakes we did before."

House leaned against the kitchen counter as he seemed to consider her words. "We're bringing our _son_ home tomorrow; he's thirteen-days-old and some days I still have problems coming to terms with all of this. But I was serious when I said I wanted to be a father to both of them, Cameron, whether you're part of the package or not… though obviously I have a preference," he added, eyes looking completely bare to her as he admitted he wanted to be with her.

Cameron's steps toward him were slow and unsure, but as soon as the skin of her arm connected with his, her reluctance was gone. House pulled her against him, and she buried her face against his neck, wondering how she'd gone months without this kind of intimate contact with him.

"You asked me before to admit I wanted you, and I still do," he confessed in words. "I want this, and I want us. I know I'm not exactly father material, and I can't blame you for trying to leave when you found out—I would've wanted to be as far away from me."

"House," she began to say, because there were a lot of things she hadn't been aware of when she'd tried to run, but she'd known she was being a coward for letting her fears take over rather than give him options. "I was afraid," she admitted. "I was afraid that you would push me away if you knew, so I just decided to run."

"I don't know how I would've reacted if you'd told me then," he added honestly. "When I found out, I was afraid I would be indifferent to them, or that I would resent them in anyway because they almost took you away from me-- but I love them, Cameron. I'm willing to try here."

Tears threatened to spill, and Cameron cursed her still unbalanced hormones. Her arms wrapped around House's torso in reply, and she let her lips graze the skin of his collarbone. She felt him kiss the top of her head, and she understood what this moment meant—all the words unsaid didn't matter, because they knew. They'd known for a long time.

The moment stretched for what felt like hours, her body pressed against his in the kitchen as they stood in silence. House was the first one to pull back, and she tried to keep from looking too disappointed.

"Come on, I remember you saying something about a shower and a nap; tomorrow you'll be yelling at yourself for missing the opportunity to sleep when the baby cries for six straight hours," he pointed out.

Cameron nodded as she followed him to the bedroom, relieved to find some of her old clothes haphazardly covering his bed; she'd already lost some of the pregnancy weight from worrying about the twins, and she hoped at least a few of her outfits would fit her, because she had no energy to go shopping.

As she entered the bathroom, she noticed a plastic baby tub sitting in the corner, and she made a mental note to thank Wilson whenever she saw him again. She showered, unassisted for the first time in months, wondering just how long it would be before the scars in her abdomen and thigh would begin to fade; for the moment she was just glad the stitches had been removed.

When she returned to the bedroom, she found House already dozing off; there were no words to describe what it felt like to slip next to him and allow herself to relax for the first time in months.


	26. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

"Where's Cameron?" Wilson asked House as he entered the NICU.

"On a plane to Cuba," House quipped as he signed the last of the forms to take his son home. "She decided to skip town, and is refusing the pay child support."

"No, seriously," Wilson replied.

House sighed. "Foreman's doing and EKG and echo to make sure she's not having any problems with her valve, so I got stuck with this paperwork," he explained as he separated the hospital copies from the duplicates he needed to keep.

"Do you need any help?" Wilson offered as they approached the open-bed area of the NICU.

"Here, help me put this on," House requested as he handed Wilson the hammock-like infant sling that the oncologist had picked out during the baby-shopping spree.

House waited a few minutes for Wilson to figure out exactly how to buckle the contraption in place, but when it finally seemed stable enough to hold a five-pound infant, he handed Wilson his cane and papers.

Picking up his son without the aid of a nurse was still new to House; the baby opened his eyes with surprise as large hands plucked him out of his familiar environment, and he began crying. "Hey, settle down," House ordered, but there was no harshness behind the words.

Wilson opened the sling pouch so House could place the baby inside. "Did you guys finally pick out a name?"

"Hospital kept asking for one in the forms."

Wilson raised his eyebrows. "So you picked his name in the last twenty minutes because the paperwork _pressured_ you to?"

"Cameron picked Abigail; I can pick his, right?"

"No, you can't. You should've waited for her; you're going to be in trouble," Wilson pointed out. "What did you pick?"

"Luke," House replied as he tested the reliability of the sling that held his son. "And I was drawing a blank on a middle name, and you're the only one whose name came up to mind… Don't let it get to your head," House warned.

"Luke James is a nice name," Wilson observed.

"Not James," House corrected. "When do I ever call you James?" he asked as Wilson began fumbling through the papers in his hand, looking for the hospital birth record that would be later used to order the birth certificate.

"You named him Luke Wilson House?"

House froze in place as he realized his error. "How hard do you think it'll be to keep Cameron away from this paperwork?"


	27. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

"Your EKG looks clean; better than I expected," Foreman said with a relieved smile.

Cameron let out the breath she'd been holding.

"We'll have to keep an eye out for scar tissue or calcium build-up, and you still need to get plenty of rest. Take it easy for the next few days," he instructed as he handed her the test results.

She browsed over the results but didn't worry too much; Foreman was a competent doctor and if he said the tests looked clean, she knew he was right.

He looked concerned as he checked her scars. "Are you going to be okay by yourself with a newborn? Do you need any help?"

Cameron gulped down nervously, because even though she knew this discussion would obviously happen sooner or later, it was still awkward. "House will be there to help," she replied pointedly, unable to meet Foreman's eyes.

And then he surprised her by laughing. "I knew those rumors were true," he added as he finished her examination. "You had Gregory House's babies—I gotta say, I didn't know you had it in you."

Cameron shrugged. "Honestly, neither did I," she admitted.

"So things are working out?" he asked delicately as he finished filling out her chart.

She sighed contentedly. "Surprisingly, yes. Still feels surreal, but I think we'll be okay."

Foreman shook his head and smiled. "If anyone had told me that this would happen, I would've tested them for every drug on the planet."

Cameron nodded. "Trust me, I wouldn't have believed them either."

"Now that I know what I know, this is going to be really awkward," Foreman warned, "but you should definitely hold off on intercourse for at least another few weeks; it's only been a little over two weeks and your c-section is healing up nicely, but I wouldn't chance it."

Cameron blushed deep red. "Won't be an issue," she promised even though she didn't feel too sure. "We'll have our hands too full with the babies," she rationalized even as images of House and her together filled her mind.

"Whatever you say," Foreman rolled his eyes as he helped her peel the electrodes off her chest. "I hope you know you owe me one hundred bucks."

"Sorry you lost money betting on the paternity of my unborn children," Cameron added sarcastically.

Foreman shrugged. "It's ok; the news will make Chase miserable, and if there's one thing better than winning a bet, is being able to taunt Chase."


	28. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

House woke up by himself in bed; a quick glance at his bedside clock told him it was almost six a.m.

His leg was throbbing in pain, and he reached for his jeans on the floor and retrieved his pill bottle, swallowing two tablets in no time. The bitter taste coupled with morning breath was downright disgusting, and he could hear a soft melody coming from the living room; groaning, he rolled off bed and made a quick trip to the bathroom to brush his teeth and get rid of the vicodin flavor.

All the lights in the living room were off, but the sun was beginning to rise; in the half light he could make out Cameron's form, standing over the crib as she hummed a lullaby to Luke.

House tried to quietly slip into the kitchen, but Cameron must've heard him because she stopped singing. He helped himself to some milk and realized he was still exhausted, which meant Cameron had to be as well, considering she obviously hadn't stayed asleep as long as he had.

Luke had been very good over the past four days since they'd brought him home, but sometimes he would just cry for lengthy periods and there was little they could do to calm him down; poor kid probably missed his twin sister.

House limped back to the living room, slipping behind Cameron and peering over her shoulder; Luke was definitely asleep. "Come to bed," he whispered, bending down and rubbing sleepily against her shoulder.

"I just like to watch him sleep," she explained as she reached over her shoulder to run her fingers through his hair.

"It's not as entertaining as _The Sopranos, _but I see the appeal," he quipped, feeling his eyes close of their own volition. "You need to rest if you want to go visit Abby in the hospital tomorrow," he reminded her gently.

"Mm-hmm," she nodded, before turning and following him back to bed.

Cameron actually managed to fall asleep before he did; House lay there in silence for several more minutes, feeling her soft breathing against his chest.

He wasn't sure where he'd done something right in his life to deserve this, but he was pretty glad he had.


	29. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

They were stopped on the way out from the NICU by Foreman, Chase, Wilson and Cuddy, all bearing colorful gift bags.

"Look, it's the Three Unwise Men and… Mary Magdalene? Can't think of an analogy that'll work," House added, disappointed.

"Sleep deprivation's a bitch," Cuddy pointed out.

Cameron laughed, in a good mood; they were picking up Abby and she was going home free of her feeding tube. The only thing the NICU had demanded before releasing her was an apnea monitor, which they'd gladly gotten from the hospital.

Sleep was probably going to be even harder to get with two babies in the apartment; House had been very good about midnight feedings and loaded diapers—she hoped he wouldn't reach his breaking point anytime soon.

"How is she?" Cuddy asked, approaching Cameron as she held Abby.

"Fantastic; she's twenty-days-old now and she weighs five pounds and twelve ounces, only eight ounces less than Luke," Cameron replied, beaming down at her daughter.

"We brought presents," Chase piped up as he shook the bag in his hands; judging from the noises that came from within, there were at least two rattles inside.

Cameron smiled. "Thanks, guys."

"Yes, remind me to thank you when they shake those things for three hours straight in the middle of the morning," House grumbled as he accepted the multiple bags he was handed since he was the only one with free hands.

"Nice try," Chase quipped, unaffected. "But you don't sound nearly as caustic with a baby sling around your neck."

House stared down at Luke. "Years spent building a reputation and you take it down in less than three weeks. Good job."

"Don't listen to him, Luke," Cuddy reassured as she moved to greet the infant boy. "He's a softy underneath all that gruff exterior."

House groaned. "Are you all done emasculating me yet? Can we go?"

Cuddy shook her head. "Yes, go on. Get out of here, enjoy these gorgeous little babies," the last part was spoken in baby-talk, punctuated by a sigh.

"Years as a hospital administrator, and she melts at the sight of two infants," House rolled his eyes.

Cameron tried to elbow him without disturbing Abby, only marginally succeeding. When she turned her attention back to their colleagues and friends, she felt something in her chest constrict. "Thank you guys, for everything that every one of you has done for us over the past few months."

They said nothing as they took turns hugging her with glassy eyes, and wished the family of four a safe journey home.


	30. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

"If you shut up, I'll give you a '68 Convertible Mustang when you turn sixteen," House tried to propose, before realizing both kids would be turning sixteen at the same time, "Or maybe a scooter, 'cause Daddy is gonna be broke," he corrected himself.

Abby was not amused as she continued to cry.

"For someone who had problems breathing during the first ten days of her life, you have remarkable lung capacity," he pointed out, briefly glancing at the apnea monitor that they didn't even need to us anymore. "Tell me what you want," he begged.

After begging, flattery and bribing all failed, he checked her diaper once again—still nothing.

"Are you hungry again? You ate thirty-five minutes ago," he reminded her, but reached for a half-empty bottle of formula anyway.

Abby refused, crying louder.

He glanced at the whiskey on his bookshelf, briefly considering that option before shaking his head… he would wait until they were at least three before turning them into alcoholics. "Okay, I've heard your mother singing to you, but I don't know any of those lame songs."

Chubby fingers gripped his t-shirt as she began flailing.

House stretched himself on the couch with Abby on his chest. "Any preferences? The Beatles, The Strokes, or any other bands that begin with the article 'the'?"

Abby replied by clawing his chin with sharper fingernails than any human being should have, especially at that size.

House began singing The Weight by The Band, and next one up was My Generation by The Who. By the time he finished Let It Be, Abby was dozing off on his shoulder.

He put his daughter back in the crib next to a sleeping Luke. His bedroom was cold as he removed his t-shirt and slipped into bed, curling up around Cameron-- she was on his side of the bed, and he was too tired to push her back to her side.

As soon as his body relaxed, he heard new cries coming from the living room. He froze in place, thinking if he stood really still, they'd go away—but they didn't, and soon Cameron stirred.

"I just got Abby to sleep. You should get Luke," he pointed out against her back. "He likes you better anyway."

"No, he doesn't. How do you know it's Luke?" Cameron asked sleepily.

"His cries are an octave lower," he explained.

She turned and snuggled into him. "Impressive," she replied, before shifting gears and pushing him out of bed. "But it's still three a.m. and my turn to get them isn't for another hour."

House groaned, because the rules were supposed to work in his favor, but the kids still seemed to cry more during his shift. Bastards.

"You should've taken these moments into consideration before you agreed to let us move in," Cameron pointed out with humor as she moved to steal his pillow.

"I did," he replied honestly with a groan as he put his shirt back on.

"You're a good father, House," she whispered before she fell back asleep.

As he limped down the hallway back to the living room, he wondered if Luke's musical taste was closer to Pink Floyd and The Kinks.


	31. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

After she finished her shower, Cameron shut off the water to hear the sounds of an electric guitar coming from the living room.

She expected the worst as she wrapped House's bathrobe around herself; he usually didn't plug his guitar to the amplifier unless both children were crying. She wasn't sure if the music was supposed to calm the babies, or drown out the sounds of the cries, so House wouldn't have to resort to extra Vicodins.

As she reached the living room, however, the twins were already asleep in their crib. They were getting big and she realized they were going to have to move soon.

Cameron leaned against the wall, watching House play for a while longer. Moving… with House—and their kids. It still seemed surreal even though it had been a whole month since they'd brought Luke home.

"I can hear you thinking," House said, even though she was sure he hadn't even seen her yet.

"Just watching you play," she explained.

"I take tips," he quipped, finally turning his head to look at her.

Cameron smiled as she walked over to him and bent down to kiss him; unlike the pecks they'd sparingly shared over the past few weeks, this one deepened quickly. Cameron's knees felt wobbly when she pulled back.

"I meant a dollar or something, but that works too," House added as he missed two notes; frustrated, he set his guitar down.

Cameron almost yelped as House surprised her by pulling her down onto his left thigh. He kissed her again, both hands kneading her hips through the terrycloth as his tongue worked magic against hers.

Fingers tugged none too gently at the knot at her waist; she had to pull away from him to take a deep breath when the living room air made contact with the bare skin. House used the time to pull the robe completely off; it fell backwards, hanging off his knee under her buttocks.

"Shouldn't they have gone back down in size by now?" House asked, mesmerized by her breasts. "It's not like you breastfed at all."

Cameron shrugged, noticing with humor as House's eyes grew when her breasts swayed slightly.

"You know what, I don't care. This is one medical oddity I don't want to understand or fix," he decided as he ran his hands up her torso until he reached his destination.

"I forgot you were such a boob-man," Cameron replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Boob-man? Isn't that redundant?" House asked as he ran his lips against the skin of her shoulders.

Cameron felt dizzy from the contact. "Good point," she replied as she threaded her fingers through his hair and massaged the scalp.

"You sure you're ready for this?" he asked, but if he wanted an honest answer, Cameron figured he should've kept his hands and lips to himself.

She started pulling on his shirt.

"I guess that's a yes," he pointed out as she felt her whole body shift; her hands reached for his neck as she realized he was trying to stand up with her.

Cameron jumped off his lap before his good leg buckled under their combined weight. She led the way to the bedroom, not giving her nudity a second thought; her valvotomy had better had worked, because if she went into cardiac arrest tonight, she was going to kill Chase.

"I thought the view was good from the front," House added with a whistle as he followed her, "but by golly, you look even better from behind."

Cameron blushed, because she wasn't expecting any compliments; she'd been nervous because her body still looked quite different. No sharp angles anymore, just small curves where curves didn't really exist before—which apparently House approved. It made having to buy new jeans to fit her new ass a little less painful.

Her breath caught in her throat when House pushed her face-first into the bed. House froze behind her, and she felt him pull away and turn her over. "You sure you're okay? Any problems breathing?"

"Do you want to call Chase and have him fax over my last echo and EKG results?" she quipped none too gently, because it had been a very long time and he was two feet away, which was pissing her off when he should be inside her already.

House looked like he was actually considering her suggestion, so Cameron decided it was time for extreme measures as she used her feet to push House's sweatpants off his hips. "The only reason I'm having irregular breathing," she said as she sat up and reached for his erection, "it's because it's been a _really_ long time," she explained as her hands caressed the silky skin in leisurely strokes, "… and I've _really _missed this."

"Sure they're not--," his sentence was cut short as Cameron's fingers dropped lower, "atrialfibrillations?" he blurted out when she bent over and ran her tongue over his head slowly.

Cameron stopped and looked up into his eyes. "I'm positive. You might not remember, but I was a doctor long before you bedded me for the first time," she teased as she moved backwards in the bed.

"I think I saw a résumé at some point," he joked even as his own breathing got more and more ragged with every touch. "And I think the first time involved my kitchen table rather than a bed," he reminded her as he got in bed and moved above her. "Come to think of it, we should probably not tell the kids that story since they'll be eating at that table for the next couple of decades."

She laughed as she realized there was probably no piece of furniture that had been safe during their affair. Or any hospital wing.

"I would petition for a reprise of that night," House added as he pulled her legs apart with one hand, moving both his good leg and his bad one between hers, "but as you mentioned, it's been a _very_ long time and this is going to be disappointingly quick," he warned.

"Better than getting interrupted by hungry cries if we don't go fast enough," she pointed out.

House raised an eyebrow as he stopped against her entrance. "I can do fast… I think."

"Never was a problem before," she joked, but couldn't laugh because he was pushing up against her. She was glad he'd gotten her plenty wet when he groped her in the living room—even with abundant lubrication, she could tell this was going to be a tight fit.

"Jesus Christ," House cursed as he halted above her, struggling to catch his own breath.

She couldn't help it, she had to tease him. "You sure you're not going having a heart attack? I might remember something in med school about how common they are in men your age."

House glared at her as he pulled out the couple of inches he'd managed to achieve, and then slammed back into her, this time to the hilt.

Cameron came, harder than she remembered possible.

"Does that answer your question?" he asked, smugly.

She tried to focus as she came down from her high, trying to remember what he was talking about. "What?"

"I'm not having a heart attack," he assured her. "At least not yet… can't make any promises if you keep working those muscles around me."

"I can't—I can't stop them," she apologized awkwardly, unable to keep from blushing.

"If you stopped now, I'd have to kill you. And then I'd have two kids to raise by myself, which would not be a pleasant idea," he pointed out.

She shook her head in agreement, still disoriented as she wrapped her legs around him. He managed to go even deeper with the adjustment in the angle, and she moaned in response.

His thumb moved between them and she gasped when she felt the fingertip against her already too sensitive clit. "Too soon," she warned as a sharp bolt of electricity traveled from her clit, up her spine to directly to her central nervous system.

"I wasn't kidding when I said this was going to be disappointingly quick," he reminded her. "Spread your legs further," he instructed and she obeyed, nearly screaming when she felt her entrance tighten even more around him. He moved his thumb back to her clit, but used a lighter touch as he coaxed another orgasm out of her.

Cameron cried out, her nails embedding themselves so deep into the skin of his back that she was briefly concerned about scars; House let go, filling her completely.

This was the best thing about having had her tubes tied after her c-section; pregnancy would be too dangerous to risk again, as her mitral valve could give out again from the stress of even a normal pregnancy with a single fetus.

As both kids began crying as if on cue, Cameron couldn't bring herself to even consider mourning the loss of her fertility; two perfect children were more than enough.

"Your turn," House grunted helpfully as he rolled off her and onto his back.

"I don't think my legs will work," she admitted.

"I _know_ mine won't," he pointed out.

_Touché_, Cameron thought as she pushed herself up and back onto firm ground. She reached for one of House's t-shirts that were lying on the ground by his side of the bed, and slipped into it before she ventured into the living room.

Both diapers were still spotless and dry, and it wasn't time for their feeding yet, so Cameron picked both of them up, pleased at their exemplary neck and back support. The crying babies clung to her and she carefully returned to the bedroom, too worn out to stand with them in the living room.

Minutes later, Cameron lay in bed, Abby safely cradled in her arms while House held Luke. She glanced down at her daughter's growing chocolate-colored hair and perfect baby skin. To think she could've given up all of this by running away—the idea was too painful for her to consider. Even with all of her complications and all of her emotional turmoil, getting pregnant had been the best thing that ever happened to her.

She dozed off next to House, her head on his shoulder, as Luke gurgled quietly in his own language and Abby snored against Cameron's chest.


	32. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

House entered the Diagnostics Department conference room carrying his daughter. His three fellows stared up at him in confusion, as House limped to the table and deposited his daughter in the middle of the mess.

"House, shouldn't she be in daycare?" Taub asked with an exasperated sigh.

House shook his head as he took hold of a blue marker, "Not today, gentleman. Meet our latest patient."

"That's not a patient, it's Abby… your daughter," Kutner pointed out.

House ignored him as usual. "Twenty-six—scratch that, twenty-seven-month-old patient, displaying abnormal immuno-activity," House announced as he wrote the words on the board.

"She's sick?" Taub asked skeptically.

"She's _not_ sick," House corrected. "Pay attention."

"So, not being sick is now a symptom of a disease?" Kutner asked, confused.

House nodded. "The entire childcare downstairs has the flu—which is common, since this childcare is located in a hospital; every time there's an outbreak, Luke gets sick, I get sick, Cameron gets sick…"

"And now we're gonna get sick," Taub interrupted as he reached the sad conclusion.

"…but Abby here never gets sick," House finished explaining; he watched as his daughter tried to chew on old medical charts, blue eyes full of mischief. He briefly wondered if he could use 'my daughter chewed up the patient's paperwork' to keep Cuddy off his back.

"So, she's lucky," Thirteen added, "It doesn't mean there's something wrong. You're just bored because we don't have a patient."

"She was nine weeks premature, and weighed twenty-five percent less than she should've weighed at that point. She should get sick more often than other kids, not less," House clarified. "I'm going with lupus."

Thirteen snorted. "Nice try, but SLE makes the body more vulnerable to disease, not the other way around."

"She's also much smarter than kids her own age. Say Wegener's granuloma, Abby," he instructed.

The toddler shook her head, chocolate brown loose curls dancing around as she giggled.

"Traitor," he accused.

"Maybe she has a metabolic disorder," Kutner suggested, earning him evil glares from his companions for contributing to House's paranoid boredom.

"House!" Cameron chided from the door, holding a thick blue folder in her hands.

House frowned, glaring at his fellows. "You guys are supposed to tell me if she or Cuddy show up—there's a reason this office has glass walls, people!"

"The daycare called me; Luke woke up from his nap and started crying because his sister wasn't anywhere around," Cameron scolded him.

House tried to look as apologetic as possible. "I would've brought both of them up-- but cripple here, remember?"

His excuse didn't earn him any pity points with Cameron as she clutched the file folder under one arm and picked Abby up from the table. When she turned back to House, she appeared to soften slightly. "I brought you a case," she offered.

"Interesting one?" Kutner asked, on the edge of his seat.

Cameron nodded. "Male in late-thirties, suffering from congenital deafness was in a car accident; spent three days in a coma, and has experienced intermittent hearing ever since he woke up. MRI is clean," she explained.

"Gee, is it our anniversary already?" House asked as he limped towards Cameron. "Sorry honey, but I didn't get you anything," he joked while he briefly hoped he hadn't forgotten any important dates-- not that Cameron ever minded when he did.

Cameron rolled her eyes as she allowed House to retrieve the case file under her arm. "Come on pumpkin, say goodbye to daddy," she directed Abby.

"No, momma. I gots poopus enuloma-bolic," Abby protested. "Want daddy!"

"House!" Cameron chided again. "What did you tell her?"

House whistled innocently as he bent down to kiss his daughter goodbye. "I don't know what you're talking about, kiddo. Daddy's got a deaf patient to taunt. Be nice to mommy, and I'll see you later," he said, briefly considering kissing Cameron as well, because this case definitely sounded interesting.

One glance at her pissed-off glare and he realized it was probably better to steer clear of public displays of affection for the time being.

She was getting big into discipline, with twin two-year-olds to chase, and House realized he was probably going to get a taste of it when they got home; he could hardly wait.

**_the end_**

**Note: **And so we venture back into canon after a long and exciting trip into AU—'why bring the Ducklings v2.0 into the story?' Because I'm scared of what Season Five has in stock, and this epilogue gives me a way out. Play this game with me, called 'House and Cameron are really secretly together and they have adorable twins,' and every time Cameron disappears for an episode or two, you can suppose that she's taking care of the kids.

(yes, I'm delusional but I'm taking my meds)

I would also like to thank everyone who's supported me through both Thirteenth Step and The Finish Line; the response to both stories – and especially this one – was the best kind of surprise I could get as a writer, and made every late-night of copious writing and re-writing worth it.


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